‘We’re not quitters’: Kristine Crockett conquers Grand Canyon trail, sets Guinness World Record

ST. GEORGE — Kristine Crockett can say she conquered her fears, for real.

The St. George resident and former registered nurse became a Guinness World Record holder last October when she hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim (known as the R2R2R hike) in record time.

At 61 years and 246 days old, Crockett became the oldest hiker to complete the 46-mile trek continuously (without a sleep break) in slightly less than 20 hours, etching her name in the famous world record book.

“I never imagined that,” Crockett told St. George News before a hike last week, although she said that her family grew up reading the “Guinness Book of World Records.”

“When my kids were little I would buy them the yearly book and we’d go through it,” Crockett said. “It was always really fun, and I always thought that would be super cool, but I never thought I would be doing something like that. It was quite an experience.”

Guinness World Record holder Kris Crockett on a recent local hike, St. George, Utah, June 1, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Along with the delight in sharing the experience with her children and grandchildren, Crockett said, she gets to continue a family legacy.

“My grampa ran a lot of marathons and climbed mountains, and my dad was really active,” she said. “They were really good examples for me.”

One of her favorite stories, she said, is the time when her grandfather, in his 70s, ran 50 miles to attend his 50th high school reunion.

The R2R2R hike is one of the most daunting journeys in the Grand Canyon, listed as extremely strenuous in some guides. Hikers go through a 13,500-foot elevation change during the descent to the canyon floor and ascent to rim. Twice.

“It was the hardest hike I’ve ever done,” Crockett said, noting that the biggest challenge was navigating the trails alone.

“I was scared to do it by myself,” she said, describing the early-morning/late-night fear while walking the depths of the canyon, the steep trail visible only by the weak beam of her helmet light.

St. George resident Kris Crockett recently hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim in Guinness World Record time, St. George, Utah, June 4, 2024 | Photo by Kris Crockett for St. George News

Her husband and hiking partner Brett stayed with her over the first leg of the walk, from the top of the North Rim down to the bottom of the canyon.

After that, she was on her own.

“I was so scared. I was petrified. It was scary to be in the dark by myself,” Crockett said. “Honestly I prayed for probably an hour and a half. I just knew a mountain lion was going to jump on my back.”

Eventually, she said, she just had to get going. 

“I took off by myself because I thought, well, I’m here,” she said. “I started hiking.”

Crockett had anticipated seeing more fellow hikers.

“I thought that was really weird, because I figured it was the Grand Canyon, there’s going to be people. And there wasn’t a soul,” she said.

As she continued on through that dark morning, Crockett felt a growing sense of empowerment.

“Once the sun started coming out and I could really see the trail, then I was like, ‘Okay, I could do this,’” she said. “And I got to the south rim.”

St. George resident Kris Crockett recently hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim in Guinness World Record time, St. George, Utah, June 4, 2024 | Photo by Kris Crockett for St. George News

But that was just the beginning, with a trip back down and up again to the rim still left to accomplish.

“I called my son, who was tracking me by GPS,” Crockett said. “He said, ‘Mom, it’s OK if you quit. You don’t need to finish. We know you can do it, you don’t have to do this.’ That’s when I knew I was going to do it.”

She said that moment made her recall her family legacy.

“I needed to show my kids that we’re not quitters,” Crockett said. “We finish the task.”

And finish she did, aided by a trio of fellow hikers consisting of a father and his two sons. Crockett connected with them for the last 10 miles or so of the journey.

“Sometimes things are hard, but we don’t quit,” Crockett said. “I really wanted to show my kids that example. It’s an honor to hold a world record and it was a great surprise to get it.”

Crockett will continue walking all over the place, living the old hiking adage, “Motion is lotion, rest is rust.”

Photo Gallery

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.